However, for Jiang Chen, the level of sword intent displayed by this opponent was sufficient, but the refinement was still somewhat lacking.
After all, the opponent was merely at the seventh level of the Heavenly Sacred Realm—a seventh-level Sacred Realm cultivator.
From the refinement alone, Jiang Chen could tell that this person was a genius in the Dao of the Sword, but his experiences in other areas were relatively ordinary.
The powerful sword intent could not conceal the deficiency in his cultivation refinement.
Jiang Chen’s own seventh level of the Sacred Realm was comparable to a half-step Imperial Realm, more than enough to face a half-step Imperial Realm opponent head-on. Ye Tianzuo’s seventh level, however, was just an ordinary seventh level.
With the aid of his sword intent, he might defeat an eighth-level or even a ninth-level Sacred Realm opponent.
But if he faced a half-step Imperial Realm, Ye Tianzuo would inevitably suffer, because his cultivation realm limited his ability to challenge higher-level foes.
Amidst the storm of violent sword intent, Jiang Chen summoned the Grand Cauldron.
This was the treasure he had taken from Lu Shinan, its defensive power first-rate. All attacks seemed to be directly drawn into its depths by some immense force.
The next moment, Jiang Chen lightly tapped his finger, striking the blade of Ye Tianzuo’s sword.
Clang!
A mournful hum emanated from Ye Tianzuo’s blade, and all his sword intent dissipated once more.
A flash of surprise appeared in Ye Tianzuo’s eyes. How could he not see that Alchemist Zhen was holding back? In fact, until now, his opponent had merely been playing along, appreciating his sword techniques, and had not launched a single counterattack.
With Alchemist Zhen’s formidable offensive power, if he retaliated, Ye Tianzuo’s prized sword techniques would likely not even get a chance to be fully displayed.
For a moment, Ye Tianzuo hesitated.
He never hesitated in matters of the sword, but in this situation, to continue attacking without understanding the disparity would be truly ignorant of good and ill.
Jiang Chen, however, smiled calmly. "Daoist Ye, continue attacking. Your sword intent is truly fine, bearing the style of a master. I, Zhen, would very much like to see it in its entirety."
Ye Tianzuo was stunned, then smiled bitterly. "Alchemist Zhen, my sword intent seems to have no effect on you whatsoever. It seems my cultivation is still insufficient after all. I still have a very, very long way to go before I can be considered a true genius."
Jiang Chen shook his head. "Not so. It may look easy for me, but breaking through your first two layers of sword intent was not simple at all. I merely made it appear effortless, leading you to think it was easy."
"Really?" Ye Tianzuo’s spirits lifted at these words.
Jiang Chen did not have the heart to discourage such a sword genius. He nodded. "Truly. I believe your next two layers of sword intent will be even more impressive."
Ye Tianzuo felt a surge of excitement. "The next two moves may not necessarily be more powerful, but they are entirely different forms of sword intent. Alchemist Zhen, since that is the case, I will unleash my full strength this once. Regardless of victory or defeat, sparring with a top genius like you will be of great benefit to me."
As he spoke, Ye Tianzuo began to gather his sword intent once more.
Suddenly, the atmosphere on the stage shifted dramatically. Killing intent—this time, it was true killing intent.
"Autumn’s Slaughter Sword!"
When a hundred flowers bloom, I do not bloom; when I bloom, all a hundred are slain.
Autumn is the season of killing intent in the sword. The four seasons cycle, and when they reach autumn, they enter the season of slaughter. It is a cruel season. Likewise, this sword intent is cruel.
As the sword intent surged, the surroundings seemed to embody the sentiment of a hundred flowers withering, of ten thousand leaves falling, of all things lying dormant…
All living beings would be cut down.
Autumn’s Slaughter Sword cuts down everything.
If the previous two layers of sword intent each had their own artistic conception—one with killing intent concealed within softness, another with killing intent within fury—then this sword contained only one word, a simple and brutal word: **Kill!**
Every sword qi, every detail, served this single purpose.
Kill!
Feeling the overwhelming killing intent sweep towards him, Jiang Chen’s heart stirred. He had seen many sword techniques, many that claimed to be about slaughter.
But most slaughter-oriented sword arts were too elaborate, too contrived, too flamboyant, too focused on achieving a beautiful effect.
Ye Tianzuo’s sword, however, lacked all of that.
It had only one pursuit, so simple that one forgot it was even a sword technique.
The simpler such a sword art, the more terrifying it became. A true killing sword would never trumpet its own splendor or boast about useless artistic conceptions.
A true killing sword needed only one principle, one word: **Kill.**
Destroy the body, destroy the soul, and annihilate the opponent’s martial will, all in one sweeping slash!
Ye Tianzuo’s move fully embodied the essence of this killing sword.
Even Jiang Chen did not dare to be careless now. He pushed his Divine and Demonic Golden Body to its limit, spreading his arms wide. A powerful magnetofield erupted, completely disrupting the stage’s gravitational forces.
Clang, clang, clang…
A continuous barrage of impacts rang out, piercingly harsh, making every eardrum in the audience ache.